Mobile Network Performance in the US

Consumers today expect a faster and more reliable mobile experience than ever before. The carriers are in a continuous race to expand their LTE footprints, add network capacity, and launch new technologies in order to meet growing consumer demands and offer their subscribers an improved mobile life.

02-18-2016 | Dave Andersen

Introduction

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As our smartphones become even more central to our daily lives, the carriers are in a tight race to offer consumers the fastest and most reliable experience possible

It’s been another busy year in the US mobile landscape. The networks have continued to enhance their LTE coverage, whether by expanding their existing LTE footprints to areas that previously didn’t offer LTE or by adding network capacity to allow for even greater LTE usage.

Why is this important? With our smartphones playing such a large part in our daily lives, we expect fast and reliable mobile performance wherever we are, and we’re past the days of using our phones to only make calls or send texts. Data usage in particular has exploded, especially for accessing video content. Consumers want to stream their favorite television shows and movies, download high-definition films, upload videos to the web, and much more.

However, these data-intensive activities place a heavy burden on the networks and require a great deal of network capacity. As consumer demands and expectations have shifted, so have the carriers’ priorities for providing a fast and reliable mobile experience. A few short years ago, the carriers were focused on offering geographic coverage to their subscribers. But in today’s era of increasing data usage and the growing adoption of new technologies, the carriers must add capacity so that people can have consistent access to the network and do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it. The carriers have even changed their data plans in response to the increased consumer demand for access to video content.

To give you an up-to-date and comprehensive look at how the networks performed in the midst of all these changes, our testing looked at performance across the breadth of the United States itself, in each of the 50 states, and within the 125 most populous metro areas across the country. Our latest data shows important changes to the mobile race as the carriers have continued to add capacity, expand their LTE footprints, and deliver improved reliability and speed. These upgrades have a direct impact on how, when, and where you can use your smartphone.

Read on to see how the networks performed from nation to neighborhood and learn what these changes mean for your daily mobile life.

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From nation to neighborhood, we’ve brought together the results of our testing during the second half of 2015 to give you a comprehensive look at mobile network performance across all the spaces of your daily mobile life.

Performance across the United States

Providing strong coverage across the entirety of the US is a tall order. To earn our United States RootScore Awards, a network needs to offer outstanding performance across all of the different spaces where consumers use their smartphones, from cities and towns of all sizes to highways, rural areas, and all the places in between. Beyond excelling across all the places where consumers use their smartphones, strong mobile performance across the US also means offering network coverage for all the ways in which consumers use their smartphones.

Our United States RootScore Report is a one-of-its-kind
performance summary that shows which networks are best answering consumer
mobile expectations.

To determine which network is leading the performance race in the second half of 2015, we drove over 231,000 miles while testing performance on highways and in big cities, small towns, and rural areas across the US. To put that in perspective, consider that the distance from New York City to Los Angeles is approximately 2,800 miles, the circumference of the earth is 24,901 miles, and the moon is about 239,000 miles away. While collecting samples for our national report, our professional testers could have driven from NYC to LA about 83 times, circled the earth over nine times, or made it almost all the way to the moon. All told, we collected approximately 3.8 million test samples while testing performance while driving, at stationary outdoor locations, and at more than 6,600 indoor locations.

In short, these aren’t anecdotal results or hasty generalizations. Unlike subjective surveys or summaries that rely exclusively on random crowdsourced data, we follow a scientific methodology. In simple terms, that means you can trust our results.

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These are comprehensive, unbiased results that you can trust
to give you a complete and accurate picture of mobile network performance
across the entirety of the United States. Results from more populous states
like California carry far more weight in our national results than those from
less populous states like Rhode Island, and within a state, large metro areas
carry more weight than small towns or connecting highways. For more on how we
test, see our
methodology section.

The United States Winners

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AT&T delivers strong performance at the national level

For the fourth consecutive test period, AT&T was the only carrier other than Verizon to win or share a United States RootScore Award, doing so in the Text RootScore category. In fact, this marks the fourth straight time that AT&T has won or shared the United States Text RootScore Award.

AT&T finished a close second to Verizon in four out of the five remaining categories, including the more holistic areas of overall performance, network reliability, and network speed. AT&T also narrowly trailed Verizon in the Data RootScore category. The only category in which AT&T didn’t rank second behind Verizon was in the Call RootScore category, where Sprint narrowly edged past AT&T to rank second.

In short, even though Verizon led the way in terms of award total at the national level, AT&T wasn’t far behind in a majority of categories. Indeed, AT&T has consistently remained a strong number two performer behind Verizon in a majority of categories in our United States testing for five consecutive test periods.

Sprint stays in the mix, finishing second or third in four out of six categories

Sprint showed a great deal of improvement in our metro area and state testing, and the network improved at the United States level as well. While Sprint didn’t win any United States RootScore Awards, the network improved its results in the Call RootScore category from a second-place tie with AT&T in first-half testing to ranking second outright in this test period. Sprint remained in third place in our Overall performance and Network Reliability RootScore categories.

As we note below, Sprint has improved its LTE coverage significantly in metropolitan markets, and Sprint's results showed a marked improvement in our metro area testing in the second half of 2015. If Sprint can continue its LTE expansion efforts beyond metro areas, Sprint could close the gap with the other networks in multiple categories at the United States level.

T-Mobile’s rankings remain consistent in each half of 2015

T-Mobile's relative national rankings in our testing across the United States were identical to what we found in the first half of 2015. While T-Mobile didn’t win any United States RootScore Awards in this test period, the network narrowly trailed AT&T for third place in our Network Speed RootScore category. We’ve noted before that T-Mobile typically performs much better in metro areas compared to state or national levels, and this was again the case in the second half of 2015.

T-Mobile offered fast speeds and strong data reliability in metropolitan markets. If you primarily use your smartphone in a major metropolitan area, T-Mobile remains a strong choice. Even though urban areas carry more weight in our results, it appears that T-Mobile currently lacks broad enough coverage to excel in our National or State RootScore studies. In the second half of 2015, the devices we used for testing were T-Mobile 700 MHz capable. Note that we did not enable VoLTE on T-Mobile for call testing in the second half of 2015. However, VoLTE will be the default call experience for T-Mobile testing in the first half of 2016, as VoLTE is gaining significant consumer adoption.

Verizon shines on the national stage

Verizon’s performance in our testing of the United States was outstanding. Verizon won or shared United States RootScore Awards across all six RootScore categories: Overall performance, Network Reliability, Network Speed, Data performance, Call performance, and Text performance. In our previous test period, Verizon won five out of six United States RootScore Awards; the lone exception was in the Text RootScore category, in which AT&T won the award outright. In this test period, however, Verizon and AT&T shared the Text RootScore Award, allowing Verizon to win or share RootScore Awards in all six test categories. What’s more, Verizon won the United States Overall RootScore Award for the fifth consecutive time.

While the scoring between Verizon and AT&T was relatively close in the categories of overall performance, network reliability, and data performance, Verizon again offered outstanding results in our United States RootScore testing. And as you’ll see below, Verizon also offered excellent performances in our State and Metro Area testing.

National results in perspective

To give you a comprehensive view of mobile network performance, we test much more than just performance at the national level. We also test to see how the networks compare within the 125 most populous metro areas across the US and within each of the 50 states.

Our testing methodology is unique to the different spaces and challenges found within each of these different areas (metro area, state, and nation). Just because a network performed well in our United States testing doesn’t necessarily mean that it will also be the strongest performer when looking at a particular metro area or state. For more on our testing methodology, please see the methodology section on our website.

Performance across the 50 states

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Expectations for mobile coverage have shifted.

Just a few years ago, consumers might have accepted that data speeds would lag or that finding a signal would be difficult in areas beyond major metros. That’s changed. With our smartphones becoming an increasingly central part of our daily life, we want to be able to access our network at all times and be able to call, text, stream videos, and much more no matter where we are.

Providing coverage across an entire state isn’t an easy task for the networks. Excelling in dense urban areas doesn’t guarantee coverage will also be strong in other areas of the state. These various spaces often have vastly different network demands and require a variety of approaches to provision adequately.

Much more than simply summarizing results from the biggest metro areas, our State RootScore Reports balance results from dense urban areas, highways, smaller towns, and more rural spaces to paint a complete picture of the consumer mobile experience. Higher population areas carry more weight in the scoring, but all of these various spaces play a part in our final results. It’s a comprehensive testing methodology to give you a one-of-its-kind look at mobile network operator performance across each of the 50 states.

AT&T increases total of State RootScore Awards

AT&T won or shared 110 State RootScore Awards in this test period, an increase from 95 in first-half testing. AT&T’s tally of State RootScore Awards trailed that of only Verizon (272), but was far more than the totals of either Sprint (36) or T-Mobile (9). Although AT&T’s tally of Overall RootScore Awards at state-level testing declined by one in this test period, AT&T’s award totals in all other categories increased since first-half testing. In fact, no other network increased its award tally in more categories than AT&T. And in the holistic categories of network reliability and network speed, AT&T increased its award totals by five and three, respectively.

AT&T’s state-level performance in text testing remained relatively similar to what we found in first-half testing, but AT&T’s award gains generally came in the categories that hold the most relevance to consumers: network reliability, network speed, data performance, and call performance.

Sprint improves state-level call and text performances

Sprint’s total of State RootScore Awards increased from 25 in first-half testing to 36 in this test period, and all of Sprint’s improvements came in the call and text performance categories. Sprint’s tally of State Text RootScore Awards increased marginally, jumping from 15 (all ties) to 18 (all ties). However, Sprint’s total of State Call RootScore Awards increased more markedly, jumping from seven (won outright or shared) to 18 (all shared). Beyond the state level, Sprint also improved its Call and Text RootScore Award totals in metro area testing.

Sprint’s results in the Network Reliability RootScore category at the state level, meanwhile, declined slightly since first-half testing. In our last report, we noted that Sprint had improved its reliability at the state level, winning or sharing Network Reliability Awards in three states (Kansas, Ohio, and Virginia). However, in this test period, Sprint failed to win any Network Reliability Awards at a state level. In Kansas, Ohio, and Virginia, Sprint again delivered strong reliability results, tying for second place in each state, but Verizon improved markedly in these states, allowing Verizon to win the Network Reliability RootScore Award outright in all three states.

Even though Sprint increased its state-level RootScore Award total, Sprint finished third in State RootScore Awards by a wide margin. However, if Sprint can continue to expand its LTE coverage beyond major metropolitan areas and echo the improvements we’ve seen at the metro level, Sprint could close the gap with AT&T and Verizon in our state testing.

T-Mobile shows improvement in state testing

In the first half of 2015, T-Mobile didn’t win any State RootScore Awards and was the only network shut out of awards at the state level. But in this test period, T-Mobile showed progress, winning or sharing nine State RootScore Awards. T-Mobile has long been known for providing fast speeds in metro areas, and the carrier showed a modest improvement to its speed results at the state level as well. Specifically, T-Mobile won or shared Network Speed RootScore Awards in three states. T-Mobile also shared two State Call RootScore Awards and four State Text RootScore Awards.

As you might have heard, T-Mobile has invested heavily in adding 700 MHz spectrum to its LTE network to complement its existing AWS and 1900 MHz spectrum. While the smartphones we used for testing in the second half of 2015 were T-Mobile 700 MHz capable, our tests are designed to reflect the consumer mobile experience and not focus on one spectrum band in particular. Please see our T-Mobile 700 MHz blog for a directional look at how the 700 MHz rollout may be impacting T-Mobile’s performance.

Verizon excellent in state-level testing

Verizon won or shared 272 State RootScore Awards in this test period, an increase from 253 in first-half testing. Verizon’s award total was well over twice as many as that of the next-highest network, AT&T, with 110. Further, Verizon had the highest award total in each of our six test categories. While Verizon's total of State Call RootScore Awards remained identical compared to first-half testing, Verizon increased its award totals in the categories of network reliability and text performance. However, Verizon's totals in the other categories dropped marginally. Verizon's award tally decreased in the Network Speed RootScore category; Verizon’s total of awards in the category (won outright or shared) slightly slipped from 44 to 41. That said, Verizon’s total of 41 Network Speed RootScore Awards (won outright or shared) was still by far the highest of any network. The next-highest total of Network Speed RootScore Awards was earned by AT&T with 10 (7 outright and 3 ties).

In short, Verizon dominated awards at the state level in the second half of 2015.

Other networks are making improvements in an effort to close the gap, but Verizon continues to lead the pack.

State results in perspective

To give you a comprehensive view of mobile network performance, we test much more than just performance at a state level. We also test to see how the networks compare within the 125 most populous metro areas and across the breadth of the US itself.

Our testing methodology is unique to the different spaces and challenges found within each of these different areas (metro area, state, and nation). Just because a network performed well in our state testing doesn’t necessarily mean that it will also be the strongest performer when looking at metro areas or across the entirety of the US itself. For more on how we measure network performance, please see the methodology section on our website.

Metro Area RootScore Awards

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Major metropolitan areas are much more than just city centers. They also include residential suburbs, business districts, recreational areas, and the highways that connect them. Consumers expect strong coverage, fast speeds, and reliable mobile performance, whether they’re relaxing at home, commuting to work, or traveling across town.

Our scientific testing of the four major networks is well established, with multiple years and millions of tests completed. We’ve brought together individual network highlights, detailed performance information for the second half of 2015, and comparisons to the first half of 2015 to give you a sense of potential performance trends.

We’ve provided network-by-network summaries of performance, and within each network section, we’ll show how long it would take you to download an episode of your favorite television show (at a file size of 600 MB). Read on for in-depth performance information for each carrier, including trend information and individual highlights for each network.

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In our last report, we noted that AT&T was a solid number two performer behind Verizon. This was once again the case in the second half of 2015. Though AT&T’s award total declined by 17 compared to first-half testing, AT&T’s tally of 424 Metro Area RootScore Awards (won or shared) trailed that of only Verizon and was again far higher than the totals earned by Sprint or T-Mobile.

Even though AT&T’s award total declined compared to first-half testing, AT&T’s results in our metro area testing were still quite strong. AT&T won or shared more Text RootScore Awards than Verizon and finished second to Verizon in every other category except for network speed performance. And while AT&T’s total of 33 Network Speed RootScore Awards (outright or shared) trailed the totals of T-Mobile (49) and Verizon (83), it was far more than that of Sprint (3).

The primary drivers behind AT&T’s decrease in awards were in the Overall performance and Network Speed RootScore categories. In fact, all four networks earned fewer Overall RootScore Awards compared to first-half testing. In the Network Speed RootScore category, AT&T’s drop of 20 awards (outright or shared) corresponded with strong improvements from T-Mobile and Verizon.

As we begin to see more parity across the mobile landscape at the metro level, we’ll keep an eye on AT&T’s award total in the face of stronger competition from the other networks.

Reliability recap

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Continuing a trend we’ve seen in previous reports, AT&T offered outstanding reliability across our metro area testing in the second half of 2015. AT&T increased its total of Network Reliability RootScore Awards by two since first-half testing. Notably, AT&T was the only network that improved its award total in the Network Reliability RootScore category. AT&T’s total of 83 Network Reliability Awards (won or shared) was far higher than those of Sprint (24) and T-Mobile (16), but fell short of Verizon’s total of 111 awards (won or shared).

AT&T’s call reliability results were superb. For the second consecutive test period, AT&T reached our threshold of excellence for both blocked and dropped call reliability in all 125 metro areas we tested. Sprint and Verizon also achieved our threshold of excellence for blocked and dropped call reliability in all 125 metro areas, but AT&T’s consistency of delivering excellent call reliability across test periods was matched by only Verizon.

AT&T’s data reliability results were also outstanding. For the second consecutive report, AT&T reached our mark of excellence for both getting connected and staying connected in every metro area we visited. Verizon was the only other network to achieve this feat. While Sprint and T-Mobile have each made progress in our data reliability testing over the past year, AT&T’s data reliability in metro areas remains much stronger than those of either network. AT&T’s stellar data reliability is on par with that of only Verizon.

If reliability is important to your mobile life, AT&T remains an excellent choice.

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Speed specifics

AT&T’s median download speeds improved compared to our previous test period. As the speed interval table below shows, AT&T decreased its number of markets in the 5-10 Mbps median download speed range from 33 to 18 in this test cycle. More importantly for consumers, AT&T increased its number of markets in the 10-20 Mbps median download speed range from 79 to 95 since first-half testing. AT&T’s speeds in the other two speed intervals remained relatively unchanged.

Looking at the two fastest speed intervals together, AT&T delivered median download speeds of at least 10 Mbps in 105 out of 125 markets. The only network to offer median download speeds of at least 10 Mbps in more markets than AT&T was Verizon, which did so in 110 metro areas. AT&T is, however, gaining ground on Verizon. In our last test period, AT&T recorded median download speeds faster than 10 Mbps in 90 markets, while Verizon did so in 121 markets. In short, AT&T has made progress in closing the gap with Verizon when it comes to delivering fast download speeds. Not surprisingly, AT&T and Verizon were the only networks to record at least 90% of their download tests on LTE in all 125 markets we tested.

At these speeds, AT&T subscribers should be able to perform data activities on their smartphones with ease. Check our speed chart for some real-world examples that show what data speeds mean for your daily mobile life.

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sprint-highlights

Sprint has continued to expand its LTE service across metropolitan markets nationwide. Sprint has also introduced its "LTE Plus network," which utilizes carrier aggregation and other technologies to deliver faster speeds and improved reliability. It's clear that Sprint's investments are paying dividends for consumers. In our last report, we noted that Sprint had improved its total of Metro Area RootScore Awards from 135 to 180 since the second half of 2014, while offering improved speeds and stronger reliability. Sprint’s story of improvement continued in second-half metro area testing.

The majority of Sprint’s improved Metro Area RootScore Award total was due to improved performances in the Call and Text RootScore categories. Sprint won or shared an additional 19 Call RootScore Awards and an additional 20 Text RootScore Awards compared to first-half testing. While Sprint’s total of Network Reliability RootScore Awards declined by six, the network’s totals in the remaining test categories remained relatively unchanged compared to our last test cycle.

Sprint finished third in total awards in our metro testing, but Sprint’s improvement of 32 Metro Area RootScore Awards trailed the improvement of only Verizon, which improved by 85 awards (won or shared). In comparison, the Metro Area RootScore Award totals of both AT&T and T-Mobile declined since our last test period.

Sprint’s improvements were especially evident in our most recent testing of Denver. In the first half of 2015, Sprint shared the Network Speed RootScore Award with T-Mobile and Verizon but finished second in every other category. In our most recent visit to Denver, however, Sprint won or shared RootScore Awards in five out of six categories, including a shared Overall RootScore Award and an outright win in the Network Speed RootScore category. The only award category in which Sprint didn’t rank first was in call performance, where Sprint was locked in a three-way tie for second place.

Reliability recap

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While Sprint’s total of Network Reliability RootScore Awards decreased by six since our last test period, this doesn’t tell the whole story of Sprint’s reliability results in our metro area testing. Sprint’s call reliability results were outstanding and on par with those of AT&T and Verizon. Sprint achieved our threshold of excellence for both blocked and dropped call reliability across all 125 metro areas we visited. Notably, this marks the second consecutive test period that Sprint has reached our threshold of excellence for blocked call reliability in all 125 markets we tested. Further, Sprint increased the number of markets in which it achieved Excellent dropped call reliability from 122 in first-half testing to 125.

Sprint’s data reliability was strong and similar to what we found in the first half of 2015. Sprint reached our threshold of excellence for getting connected in 102 markets and achieved Excellent for staying connected in 121 markets. In the vast majority of markets where Sprint fell short of Excellent for either getting connected or staying connected, Sprint missed our 97% connection rate threshold by very narrow margins.

Looking back one full year to the second half of 2014, Sprint has made tremendous strides to its data reliability results. In roughly one year, Sprint has increased the number of markets in which it scored Excellent for getting connected from 77 to 102 and for staying connected connected from 108 to 121. We’ll keep a close eye on Sprint’s reliability results going forward to see whether the carrier’s story of improvement carries into 2016 and beyond.

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Speed specifics

Sprint showed significantly improved data speeds in this test period. Specifically, Sprint decreased its number of markets in the 0-5 Mbps and 5-10 Mbps median download speed ranges by a total of 18 since first-half testing, while increasing its number of markets in the 10-20 Mbps and 20+ Mbps median download speed intervals. These improved speeds are great news and could have a dramatic impact on the time it takes Sprint’s subscribers to perform data activities with their smartphones.

Prior to the second half of 2015, Sprint hadn’t recorded a median download speed faster than 20 Mbps in any market we’d ever tested. In this test period, however, Sprint recorded median download speeds of 20 Mbps or better in 14 markets. This is a huge degree of improvement and shows the impact of Sprint’s continued efforts to expand its LTE presence in metropolitan markets nationwide. Indeed, Sprint’s 14 total markets in the 20+ Mbps speed interval surpassed AT&T's total of 10 markets in the same speed interval. AT&T had long held an advantage over Sprint for delivering median download speeds faster than 20 Mbps, but the results of our second-half testing suggest that Sprint’s network improvements have changed the mobile landscape and are improving the mobile lives of Sprint users.

For example, in Rockford, IL, Sprint recorded a median download speed of 16.8 Mbps in the first half of 2015. It would take about 4.8 minutes to download a 600 MB television show at this speed. However, at Sprint’s second-half median download speed of 24.6 Mbps in Rockford, downloading the same television show would take about about 3.3 minutes. In short, at Sprint’s faster speeds, consumers should be able to perform data-intensive activities much more quickly.

Even though Sprint’s number of Network Speed RootScore Awards declined by one since first-half testing, Sprint’s expanded LTE coverage in this test period appears to have benefited Sprint’s subscribers. In our last test period, we were able to connect to Sprint’s LTE network during download testing over 90% of the time in 77 markets. But in this test period, we connected to Sprint’s LTE network in more than 90% of our tests in 103 markets. The increased time spent on LTE is clearly corresponding to faster speeds from Sprint.

As Sprint continues to expand its LTE footprint, deliver faster speeds and strong reliability, the network’s story of improvement could be a prelude to even stronger results to come.

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t-mobile-highlights

Fast speeds in metro areas have long been a hallmark of T-Mobile’s performance, and this trend continued in our most recent test period. While T-Mobile’s tally of Metro Area RootScore Awards decreased by 12 compared to first-half testing, T-Mobile improved its number of Network Speed RootScore Awards from 42 in first-half testing to 49. Notably, T-Mobile and Verizon were the only two carriers to improve their tally of Network Speed RootScore Awards since our last test period.

T-Mobile also increased its total of Data RootScore Awards by seven (won outright or shared) compared to first-half testing. Although Verizon won or shared the most Data RootScore Awards of any network with 83, T-Mobile narrowed the gap with AT&T in this test period. T-Mobile won or shared 27 Data RootScore Awards in second-half testing, while AT&T won or shared 38. T-Mobile also won 28 additional Text RootScore Awards in this test period.

Not all news was positive, however; T-Mobile’s total of Call RootScore Awards declined by 29 since our last test cycle. Note that our T-Mobile call testing in the second half of 2015 was conducted on T-Mobile's circuit-switched call network, where the vast majority of T-Mobile subscribers make calls. However, in the first half of 2016, we will be testing T-Mobile's VoLTE network; we will be watching the carrier's blocked and dropped call reliability with interest. For more on VoLTE, please see our recent blog post.

T-Mobile’s award totals in the more holistic RootScore categories of Overall performance and Network Reliability decreased by 10 and 15, respectively, since first-half testing primarily because of additional blocked calls, but the network still offered very fast speeds and improved data reliability results.

Reliability recap

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Reversing an improvement trend we noted in our last report, T-Mobile’s total of Network Reliability RootScore Awards dropped from 31 to 16 (all ties) compared to first-half testing, which was largely due to a decline in blocked call reliability.

T-Mobile achieved Excellent blocked call reliability in 109 metro areas, a drop from 117 in the first half of the year. In dropped call testing, on the other hand, T-Mobile showed a modest improvement, increasing the number of markets in which it achieved Excellent from 122 to 124.

In data reliability testing, meanwhile, T-Mobile showed solid improvements compared to first-half testing. T-Mobile reached our threshold of excellence for getting connected in 103 markets in this test period, a substantial jump from 62 in first-half testing. T-Mobile also improved its ability to stay connected, though to a lesser degree; T-Mobile achieved Excellent for staying connected in 121 markets, an increase from 111 in our last test cycle. This is great news for consumers who want both fast and reliable data service in metro areas.

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Speed specifics

T-Mobile continued to deliver outstanding data speeds in most metro areas in the second half of 2015. Notably, T-Mobile recorded the fastest median download speed we’ve recorded in any metropolitan market we’ve tested to date at 44.9 Mbps in Lansing, Michigan. Trailing only leader Verizon, T-Mobile won or shared 49 Network Speed RootScore Awards in second-half testing, while also delivering improved median download speeds. T-Mobile decreased its number of markets in the 0-5 Mbps median download speed range from six to one (2.2 Mbps in McAllen, TX) in this test period, while increasing its number of markets in the 10-20 Mbps median download speed range from 57 to 62. Although T-Mobile’s number of markets in the 20+ Mbps median download speed range declined by seven markets since first-half testing, the carrier’s total of 38 markets in this range was second behind only Verizon.

Combining the two fastest speed intervals, T-Mobile offered median download speeds of at least 10 Mbps in 100 markets in this test period; this total was slightly behind those of AT&T (105) and Verizon (110), but nearly twice as many as Sprint’s total of 51.

T-Mobile’s improved speeds correlate to the network’s slightly improved LTE coverage in this round of testing. This improved LTE coverage in metro areas may be due to T-Mobile's rollout of 700 MHz spectrum. We connected to T-Mobile’s LTE network during download testing at least 90% of the time in 111 markets, an increase from 105 in first-half testing. While T-Mobile also improved its LTE coverage in the lower percentage tier (below 80%), it’s worth noting that we didn’t connect to T-Mobile’s LTE network in Des Moines, IA, during any of our download tests in either half of 2015. Despite the absence of LTE in Des Moines, T-Mobile’s legacy HSPA+42 network still delivered a respectable median download speed of 6.4 Mbps along with Excellent reliability for both getting connected and staying connected.

If T-Mobile can improve its blocked call reliability and continue to expand and enhance its LTE network, T-Mobile could close the gap with the other carriers in terms of Metro Area RootScore Awards.

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verizon-highlights

Verizon’s performance in metro area testing in the second half of 2015 echoes what we’ve seen from the network in previous test periods, and that’s a good thing: Verizon won more Metro Area RootScore Awards than any other network, delivered outstanding reliability results, and recorded consistently fast data speeds. The only category in which Verizon didn’t win the most RootScore Awards was in the text performance category, where Verizon narrowly trailed AT&T. AT&T won or shared 119 Text RootScore Awards, while Verizon shared 103 such awards.

Verizon’s total of Metro Area RootScore Awards increased by 85 (won or shared) since our last test cycle, easily the highest increase among all networks. The majority of Verizon’s award gains were in the Text RootScore category. Verizon’s total of Text RootScore Awards increased from seven in first-half testing to 103 (all ties). However, since data speeds are such an integral part of consumers’ daily mobile lives, Verizon’s improved total of Network Speed RootScore Awards was even more impressive: Verizon increased its award total from 70 to 83 (won or shared) since first-half testing.

Even though Verizon’s award total in all RootScore categories except for Network Speed and Text performance declined marginally since first-half testing, Verizon’s award tally in each category was still remarkable. Of the 125 markets we tested in the second half of 2015, Verizon won or shared 104 Overall RootScore Awards, 111 Network Reliability RootScore Awards, 83 Network Speed RootScore Awards, and 83 Data RootScore Awards.

To put this in context, Verizon’s next-closest competitor in five out of six categories was AT&T, which won or shared 50 Overall RootScore Awards, 83 Network Reliability RootScore Awards, and 38 Data RootScore Awards. T-Mobile, Verizon’s next-closest competitor in the Network Speed RootScore category, won or shared 49 Network Speed RootScore Awards.

Reliability recap

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Verizon’s reliability performance across metro area testing in the second half of 2015 was outstanding. Although Verizon’s total of Network Reliability RootScore Awards declined by six compared to first-half testing, Verizon still won or shared 111 Network Reliability RootScore Awards, by far the highest total among all networks.

Verizon also delivered outstanding call and data reliability results in our metro area testing. Verizon reached our threshold of excellence in all 125 markets for both blocked and dropped call reliability. What’s more, for the second consecutive test period, Verizon reached our threshold of excellence for both getting connected and staying connected in all 125 markets. Verizon was the only network to achieve this feat in both halves of 2015, but AT&T came very close.

Verizon’s ability to deliver consistently outstanding reliability results in both call and data reliability testing has been nothing short of remarkable.

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Speed specifics

In addition to Verizon’s outstanding reliability, Verizon also offered extremely fast speeds in metro areas. Verizon was the only network other than AT&T to record at least 90% of its download tests on LTE in every market we tested. Verizon did, however, show very slight regression when looking at its speeds in the 0-5 Mbps median download speed range. Specifically, Verizon recorded median download speeds in the 0-5 Mbps range in two markets (McAllen, TX and Santa Rosa, CA) in this test period, compared to zero in first-half testing.

However, and more importantly for consumers, Verizon’s number of markets in the 20+ Mbps median download speed range increased from 51 to 58. No other network offered topline speeds (those exceeding 20 Mbps) in as many markets as Verizon. What’s more, among the 125 metro areas we tested, Verizon recorded median download speeds of 10 Mbps or faster in 110 markets—the highest total among all networks.

Verizon has proven consistently fast and reliable in our metro area testing. The question remains: will this be the case in 2016, or will the other networks catch up?

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Metros Areas in perspective

To give you a comprehensive view of mobile network performance, we test much more than just performance at the metro level. We also test to see how the networks compare within each of the 50 states and across the breadth of the US itself.

Our testing methodology is unique to the different spaces and challenges found within each of these different areas (metro area, state, and nation). Just because a network performed well in our metro area testing doesn’t necessarily mean that it will also be the strongest performer when looking at a state or across the entirety of the US. For more on how we measure performance, please see the methodology section on our website.

A flexible, evolutionary framework

RootMetrics continually evaluates our testing and scoring methodologies to ensure that they continue to reflect the consumer mobile experience as accurately as possible. When advances in mobile technology alter the landscape or consumer behavior changes markedly, we adjust our methodologies and scoring accordingly. Changes are made so that we continue to capture the true consumer experience.